Monthly Scavenger Hunt

My fixation with Flickr continues. A while ago I joined a group called “Monthly Scavenger Hunt”. I have lurked but not yet joined in until now. I’ve decided to give it a go as it looks fun! It might provide me with inspiration for my 365 project when I’m struggling for ideas and I like the prompts on the list!

January 2010 Scavenger Hunt

1. Mas Que Nada (Please tag as msh0110-1 and msh0110)
2. Air Mail Special (msh0110-2 and msh0110)
3. String of Pearls (msh0110-3 and msh0110)  Here 
4. Ornithology (msh0110-4 and msh0110)
5. On the Street Where You Live (msh0110-5 and msh0110)
6. Born to be Blue (msh0110-6 and msh0110)
7. Close your Eyes (msh0110-7 and msh0110) Here
8. All the Things You Are (msh0110-8 and msh0110)
9. Smooth Sailing (msh0110-9 and msh0110)
10. Tangerine (msh0110-10 and msh0110)
11. Four (msh0110-11 and msh0110)
12. Squeeze Me (msh0110-12 and msh0110) Here
13. God Bless the Child (msh0110-13 and msh0110) Here
14. Time on my Hands (msh0110-14 and msh0110)
15. Three Little Words (msh0110-15 and msh0110)
16. I Got Rhythm (msh0110-16 and msh0110)
17. Fever (msh0110-17 and msh0110)
18. Ain`t Misbehavin` (msh0110-18 and msh0110)
19. Love for Sale (msh0110-19 and msh0110)
20. How High the Moon (msh0110-20 and msh0110)

Robyn returns

Robyn came home today. This made us all very happy. Katie came down the stairs grinning from ear to ear. She came up to me and said “Mummy! Robyn there!”. She has been looking for her all week. They love each other to pieces those girls. It is really lovely to see.

This afternoon they have had so much fun together. They have dressed up as “Weeners” (Ballerinas) and worn their “gink gwasses” (pink swimming goggles). My family is back together again where it belongs. That makes me all warm inside

Here is todays picture for my 365 project. I know I said I probably wouldn’t post them here but I might be changing my mind lol.

Happy New Year!

I love New Years Day, especially when I’ve had a lovely quiet evening in the night before, no hangovers and extreme tiredness here!

The day feels fresh, there is anticipation in the air and you can sense the new beginnings that comes with a brand new year. We have just taken down all of our decorations. They are now packed away and stored back up in Robyn’s attic bedroom. The living room feels a bit bare but at the same time it feels brighter. Now comes the task of sorting out all of the toys. We  need to go through them all and decide which ones will go upstairs to the girls rooms, which ones will go to my mum and dads house and which will stay down here. We sorted out the toys that needed throwing away/rehoming just before Katie’s birthday so at least we know one task is done lol.

I’ve just started a 365 project on Flickr. Here is my first shot:

From now on I’ll probably only post my monthly mosaic here but feel free to keep an eye on the project on my Flickr page. You could even join in. The group I am doing it in is one set up for members past & present from my OU course but there are lots of 365 projects on Flickr.
We’ve also started a new savings scheme… £1 a day for 2010. Hopefully we will stick to it and by this time next year we will have £365 to treat ourselves with!

Farewell to the “Noughties”

This last decade has been eventful for me. It started off pretty badly if I’m honest. I wasn’t in a good place back then.

I spent New Year of 1999/2000 in a pub with some friends. I can remember what I wore, I still have the top somewhere stashed away! It was a very ordinary night, not as much fun as we used to have on a normal night out. I always think that there is too much expectation at new year. We used to have wild nights out but new years was always a let down. Drink prices are always ridiculous and you spend a fortune on a taxi home after waiting 3 hours for it in the first place!

This year we are staying at home. Katie will go to bed at the normal time and Anthony and I are having a meal of steak with herby new potatoes and veg followed by home-made lemon mousse. My sister and her friend might pop in at some point for a few drinks, that will be nice. We just want to spend this new year warm and safe with our nearest and dearest. It’s just a shame Robyn isn’t here to share it. She is at her “dads” until Saturday. That’s always been the deal… she goes there for new year and stays at home for Christmas. Out of the two events I know I get the better deal but I just hate having to share her

I am entering the new decade with a family of my own. I am married to the man of my dreams and I have 2 wonderful daughters. I had nothing 10 years ago. Yes, I had my mum, dad, sister & nephew but I lived alone in a grotty flat. I was so so lonely and very miserable.
The “noughties” saw me have my children and get married. That makes the decade pretty momentous! It is the decade in which I grew into the person I am now. There’s lots I am glad to leave behind, glad to draw a line under. In 2005 I had what was teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. It scares me to think how poorly I was back then. I am very glad that I am not in that dark place anymore. In 2006 I had a miscarriage. That will always be in my mind but I am dealing with it better now. I wouldn’t have Katie if  I’d not suffered that miscarriage… I fell pregnant with her 8 weeks afterwards. Things happen for a reason. It’s all part of God’s plan. I believe that. It’s not always easy but time is a good healer.

So yeah, the last decade had great things and sad things. Inevitable I guess. Today I find myself really thinking about the past. I feel a bit weepy, people have come and gone, friends & family loved and lost.

What will the next 10 years hold… who knows?! Whatever happens it will be for a reason.

The hymn “Lord for the years” is one of my favourites. The words speak to me and give me comfort in times of both great joy and sorrow. I’d like to just share the last verse. It seems very fitting to quote it today as I always think it is about leaving behind the bad feeling, the luggage if you like. Leave all that behind and carry on regardless.

Lord for ourselves; in living power remake us-
self on the cross, and Christ upon the throne,
past put behind us, for the future take us:
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2010. May all your dreams come true xxx

Best of 2009: Resolution you wish you’d stuck with

I have just looked back through an internet forum I belong to and found a post I made on 31st December 2008. It says that my only resolution is to lose weight. Well, I managed that didn’t I?! 2010 will be my year to lose even more. I’ve already dropped one dress size. How many more can I drop? The world is my oyster. I want to drop 3 more sizes to be happy. That would take me to a size 16. To me that is tiny!

My resolution for 2010 is to be positive. This will be OUR year. Good things will happen to us because we are good people. With my family all around me we will succeed. Just watch!

This post is part of  Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 blog challenge

Wordless Wednesday: 2010 is dawning… wish upon a star!

Find more Wordless Wednesday posts at www.wordlesswednesday.com

Best of 2009: Ad

What advertisement made you think this year?

My favourite TV ad this year is the Barclaycard one:

Years ago when on holiday you would always find me on the highest diving board and the biggest water slide. Not now. I have lost my confidence. When I first saw that advert on TV I thought “Wow! I’d love to go on that!”. Then I felt sad because I knew that whereas I used to have the confidence I’d never actually do it now. Why not?! Where did the confidence go?!
When we went on holiday to Butlins in May there were water slides galore. Did I go on any of them? No, of course not! For one thing there are weight restrictions on these things. Imagine getting to the top of the steps and then realising I was too big to go down. The humiliation would be too much. Instead I stayed with the girls in the pool while Anthony went and had fun on the slides.

One day I will go on a water slide. At Blackpool there is a water park that I have always wanted to go to. When I have lost this weight and have some confidence back I will go there and I will have fun.

This post is part of  Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 blog challenge

Best of 2009: Laugh

My family love to laugh. All of us have a great and sometimes wicked sense of humour. When we get together with my mum, dad, sister and nephew then big laughs are guaranteed.
Sometimes the phone will ring and when you answer all you can hear is laughter, so much laughter that the person on the other end is unable to speak. It is usually my mum or dad. We do it to them too. Something will have happened that is hysterically funny and you just need to share!

On Boxing Day I was reading through something of Robyns where she had been prompted to write who in her class was the best at certain things. There were headings and she had to fill in names underneath. It went something like this:

• Best dressed: Paige
• Best dancer: William
• Best hair: Me
• Best make up: Me
• Most popular: Me & Chloe
• Best drama queen: Me
• Best cheerleader: Me
• Best singer: Me
• Most handsome: Isaac
• Best prom King: Isaac
• Best prom Queen: Me
• Most likely to become famous: All the girls

When I read it I howled with laughter. I read it out to Anthony and he did the same. I said “I’ve got to tell Mum and Dad!” so picked up the phone and read it out to them too. I could hardly speak, they were both creased up with laughing too. I knew they would appreciate it.
This is what our family does… laugh. We laugh at the slightest little thing but most of all we share our jokes and make others laugh too. Each time we meet up one of us has a funny story to tell. There is no point in keeping big laughs to yourself is there?!

This post is part of  Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 blog challenge

Best of 2009: Stationery

As a child I loved stationery. We used to go on holiday to France a lot as kids and especially in the summer the French supermarkets would be full of stationery, cheap and different stationery to the stuff you got at home. It was heaven to me! I’d buy pens, pencils, notepads, colouring pens etc etc. I used to end up with drawers full of pens! Crazy!

Now I’m really not too fussed. I keep a magnetic notepad on the fridge for making shopping lists and there are pens dotted around the house.
The kids have a huge box of crayons, pencils and pens though. They have colouring books, activity books and notepads. Katie LOVES to draw. She knows nearly all her colours and will draw and copy letter shapes at any opportunity. Robyn is also a little artist. Her teacher is very keen on art and Robyn has caught the enthusiasm.

For me then the best stationery of 2009 is just paper and pens. Any paper and any pen that my children can draw on or with and be creative. Here is a picture that Katie drew last week. She’s a clever girl.

This post is part of  Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 blog challenge

Best of 2009: Social web moment

I had to think about this. Not because I couldn’t think of anything but because for me the social side of the internet is the most fantastic part. I have made some very firm friendships through the internet over the last few years.

During 2009 I have met up with many friends that I initially met online. We’ve had trips to Tatton Park, the Trafford Centre, the theatre, my own home and soft play centres. What a wonderful thing it is to have friends. A friend that you know all about, have been speaking to for years in some cases and yet have never met is a great thing. We have shared good times and bad times and been there for each other through them all.
These are not fair weather friends like some “real life” friends. They are very real and proper friends who I am very blessed to have.

This post is part of  Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 blog challenge